Pedal control



Jun@ 10, 1941 G. L. WILLIS Er/u., 2,245y314 PEDAL CONTROL Filed Feb. 21,1946

Patented June l0, 1941 PEDAL CON TESOL Gertrude L. Willis and Felix R. Willis, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application February 27, 1940, Serial No. 321,033

(Cl. Sci- 232) 7 Claims.

This invention relates to pedal controls and contemplates particularly a piano attachment comprising a foot stool for children adapted in use for placement over the pedals of a piano or other-pedaloperated instrument, in combination with one or more control pedals in the footsupporting surface of the stool, having an operating connection with the respective pedals of the instrument so as to support the feet of a child while playing the instrument, and thereby aid the child in maintaining balance, as well as to enable eifective manipulation of the pedals as required, and with minimum effort.

A comfortable position oi a pianist before the instrument is essential to most satisfactory play, and this is especially true in learning the piano. The arms and shoulders of the student must be disposed in a position above the keyboard most conducive to balance and a relaxed position. In the case of a child, it is preferable, therefore, to elevate the piano bench with respect to its position for an adult in order to make the key-board more readily accessible. The pedals, of course, are more diflicult to reach for a child, whether it is necessary to elevate the bench or not. Straining the body in order to reach the pedals has a twofold disadvantage: First, in that the pedals cannot be controlled efliciently, and second, the balance necessary to freedom of movement is impossible.

It is an important object of this invention to avoid the above-noted diiculties by the provision of a foot stool adapted for use by a child in playing a piano or like instrument which will carry the Weight of the legs and feet of a child as well as assist the child in maintaining his equilibrium by receiving variations in the direction of application by his weight while moving the trunk of his body to reach the ends of the keyboard.

Another object is to provide a stool having a pedal pivoted thereto and adapted to be held in an elevated position by mechanism connecting it with a pedal of the piano whereby depression of the pedal will similarly actuate the instrument pedal, and correspondingly, will be returned to original position by the instrument pedal when the pressure by the operator thereon is relieved.

Another object is the provision of extensible legs for a stool of the character above indicated, in combination with extensible mechanism for connecting the stool pedal and the piano pedal to facilitate adaptation of the device to children of various heights.

Another object is to provide a broad base on Which the legs of the stool are mounted to reduce the tendency of the stool to tilt, in combination with an extension of said base adapted to fit under the Ypiano pedals and between the piano case and floor to augment the resistance of the base to tilting displacement.

Other objects and salient features of our invention such, for example, as economy of manufacture, simplicity of construction, ease of operation, and durability, will be apparent to those of skill in the art from an examination of the following description read in the light of the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective View of our invention operatively associated with a piano of conventional construction;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the stool, illustrating principal features thereof as positioned in use;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view in section of the clamping device for the piano pedal.

Referring to the drawing in detail, the numerals of which indicate similar parts throughout the several views, 5 designates a piano of a conventional design to which the specic illustrated embodiment of ourl invention is adapted. Three pedals 6 extend through the pedal board 'I in accordance with the usual construction.

The stool of our invention comprises a base board 8 having a series of feet 9, preferably composed of rubber, on its underside. Four pegs IU are mounted on the upper surface of the board 8 in upright position at the corners of a rectangle. A hollow leg II is telescoped over each peg for the support of a top member I2 which is secured by suitable means on the upper ends of legs II. Braces I3 are secured to the top and extend between pairs of the legs to reinforce the position of the latter with respect to one another and the top The legs Ii may be supported on base 8, or top member I2 may be raised relative to the base board by inserting sleeves I4 on the pegs under the legs. Rubber bumpers I5 are secured to the edges of the top i2 to prevent the stool from marring the piano or other furniture.

An elongated opening I6 is cut through the top I2 parallel to the ends of the latter in which opening I6 pedal-control mechanism about to be described is adapted to operate. A pair of angle brackets I'I are arranged adjacent one end of the opening I6, being secured by suitable means to the underside of the top member I2 with one side I8 of each bracket extending upwardly into the opening. A screw I9 or the like carried by the upper end of side I8 of each bracket I'I is secured in opposite sides of a stool pedal 28 adjacent one end thereof, thus affording pivotal support for the pedal. A stop 2|, secured to the brace I3 at the opposite side of the stool," limits the downward movement of the free end 22 of the pedal. In use, the stool is arranged with the edge of base board 8 at the side of the stool which supports the free end 22 of the stool-pedal, extending under the pedal board l of the piano. In this position, the piano pedals 6 extend under the top I2 of the stool and between legs II disposed at the adjacent side of the stool. The stool pedal is attached to one of the piano pedals 6 by means of an extensible pivotal connective, generally indicated at 23, comprising a tube 24 pivoted in a recess 25 formed in the underside of the stool pedal 20 by a transverse pin 26 having its ends secured to the pedal in a suitable manner. A threaded rod 2l extends telescopically into tube 24 and is provided with an enlarged end 28 slidable with the bore of the tube to maintain the rod and tube in coaxial relationship. 'Ihe lower end of rod 2l is pivoted on a transverse pin 29 secured in a recess 30 in the top of a clamping device 3l which is adapted to receive one of the piano pedals, as illustrated in Fig. 2. The clamping device cornprises a hood member 32 and a separate bottom plate 33 which is preferably flat and relatively thin, so as not to restrict the effective stroke of the piano pedal With Which it is connected. Bolts 34 extend through holes in hood member 32 and plate 33 adjacent the sides thereof. On the lower ends of bolts 34, nuts 35 are threaded for the support of the plate. The holes are enlarged adjacent their upper ends as indicated at 3S, to receive the heads 3l of the bolts. Springs 38, encircling bolts 33, are seated on shoulders 39 formed by the enlargement of the bores through which the bolts extend, and bear against the underside of the heads 3l of the bolts to resiliently urge the hood members 32 and plate 33 into clamping engagement with the piano pedal 6. The tube 23 is adapted to bear against a knurled nut 53 threaded on rod 2 in a position to support the free end of the stool pedal elevated from top I2 of the stool. By threaded adjustment of the nut 43 on rod 21, the upper surface of the pedal 2D may be disposed toform a most suitable angle with the upper surface of top member I2 throughout the range of permissible adjustment of the extensible legs of the stool.

It will be observed that We have provided a simple extension-control for the pedals of a piano, or like instrument, to meet the requirements of children of various heights, in combination with a stool adapted to afford aid in supporting the body throughout all normal movement incident to playing the instrument.

While the embodiment of our invention illustrated has but a single stool-pedal, it will be understood that there may be provided pedals in the stool top for each pedal of the instrument to be operated, and that if in such embodiment only certain of the instrument pedals are to be used, the stool-pedals complementary to those other of the instrument not to be used, may be left unattached, thus permitting all pedals of the stool not in use to completely ll the openings provided in the stool top therefor, and presenting an unrestricted area on each side of the pedal or pedals which are operatively connected. v

While We have described but one embodiment of our invention, it will be understood that numerous changes may be made in size, design, number and proportion of the various parts, without departing from the spirit of our invention as dened by the appended claims.

What We claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a pedal control for pianos and the like, a base, a stool comprising a top having a pedal pivoted therein, legs mounted on said base supporting said top above and substantially parallel to said base, each of said legs comprising a series of sections adapted for selective utility for variably spacing said top and base, a retaining member comprising an extension of said base adapted to extend under the piano, and means to connect said pivoted pedal to a pedal of the piano.

2. In a pedal control for pianos and the like, a foot-supporting member, means to mount said member above a pedal to be controlled, a separate pedal carried pivotally in said supporting member and movable from a position in which the upper surface of said pedal is flush with the upper surface of said member, means connecting said last-named pedal with the pedal to be controlled, and means to extend said first-named means.

3. In a pedal control for pianos and the like, a stool comprising a foot-supporting member, a separate pedal having one end thereof pivoted to said member with the top of said pedal flush with the upper surface of said member, means to support said member over a pedal to be controlled, and means to connect said pivoted pedal to the pedal to be controlled.

Il. In a pedal control for pianos and the like, a foot-supporting member, a pedal having one end thereof pivoted to said member and its opposite end movable relative to said member, means to engage a piano pedal to be controlled, and an extensible element connecting said last-named end of said pivoted pedal and said last-named means to adjustably tilt the pedal relative to the upper surface of said member to form either of two angles of pre-determined degree and any angle of intermediate degree therebetween.

` 5.l Ina pedal control for pianos and the like, a

stool comprising a series of legs, a top supported 1 by said legs over the pedal to be controlled, said top having an opening therein, a pedal in said opening pivoted to said top, a clamp engaging the pedal to be controlled, and means connecting said clamp to said pivoted pedal.

6. In a pedal control for pianos and the like, a stool comprising a series of legs, a top supported by said legs over the pedal to be controlled, a pedal pivoted to said top, a clamping device to frictionally engage the pedal to be controlled, and means to connect said clamping device to said first-named pivoted pedal.

'7. In a pedal control for pianos and the like, a stool comprising a series of legs, a top supported by said legsY over the pedal to be controlled, and

a hollow member to encircle the pedal to be controlled and removable therefrom by lateral movement of said member. i

FELIX R. WILLIS. GERTRUDE L. WILLIS. 

